Expert: Kay Larson - 6/7/2011

Question
QUESTION: Hi Kay,
Thank you for taking the time to answer my question!  I'd like to earn a certification or degree in holistic nutrition.  Eventually, I'd like to teach, create a website and be a consultant.  I am in the position in life where I need to take classes online and have to pay as I go.
The only school that I know of that offers that option is Hawthorne University.  Are there other online schools that offer the pay as you go option and which ones are the best in your opinion?
Thank you!
Bev

ANSWER: Hi Bev-Kingdom College of Natural Health allows you to pay monthly and books are included in the tuition. I think Kingdom is an excellent school. Just look at the programs and you'll see what I mean. Good luck!

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Kay,
I just came across this answer posted by Cindy Wolfe to a reader who sent in their question on 8/2/10 to this website.
What is your position on her answer?
Thank you,
Bev


Answer
Hello Salam,

Kingdom College of Natural Health is not accredited and is a degree mill. There are many such degree mills, here is a partial listing: http://online.degree.net/accredited-unaccredited-state-approved-diploma-mill/t-d.

The University of
Bridgeport (Connecticut) has an online program that may be of interest to you:
https://www.bridgeport.edu/pages/2272.asp

You are doing the right thing by checking out accreditation/degree mills. Make sure that you understand what accreditation is so that you can be an informed education consumer.

Kind regards,
Cindy Wolfe

Answer
Bev-I think anyone who has read my posts for a while knows my position on this subject, but I will answer it again. First off I would ask the question, what is the definition of a diploma mill? It's defined as a school that is substandard and requires no work for a degree. In other words you can buy it. That is certainly not the case for Kingdom College of Natural Health. It is a "real" school in that there are "real" courses and "real" assignments with "real" learning going on. And the instructors are qualified to be grading and commenting on assignments. It is legally registered in Guam, (you can go to the website) and operates as 501c3. Is that not then the definition of a "real" school?  Yes, I know dribble from the typical American drones who believe that the USDE has to give it's stamp of authority on a learning institution or else it's not a "real" school. American College of Health Care Sciences, an online natural health school, is now DETC accredited. But before it could obtain accreditation it had to be operating as a school for a number of years before that as that is the government requirement. So what, was it a diploma mill and then when it got DETC approved (which some regionally accredited colleges still don't recognize) it all the sudden became a legit school??  That makes no sense.
Yes, you should do your due diligence and check out any school before signing on. But just because a school doesn't have a US government stamp of approval does not mean that it's not "real." To blanket all schools that don't have the US stamp of approval as diploma mills (which are illegal) is irresponsible and downright ignorant.